Short Summary

THE TWICE-DEFERRED SECOND TRIAL ARISING OUT OF THE KIDNAPPING AND PRESUMED MURDER OF MOROCCAN OPPOSITION LEADER MEHDI BEN BARKA NEARLY 18 MONTHS AGO OPENED TODAY (MONDAY) AT THE PALAIS DE JUSTICE IN PARIS.

Description

THE TWICE-DEFERRED SECOND TRIAL ARISING OUT OF THE KIDNAPPING AND PRESUMED MURDER OF MOROCCAN OPPOSITION LEADER MEHDI BEN BARKA NEARLY 18 MONTHS AGO OPENED TODAY (MONDAY) AT THE PALAIS DE JUSTICE IN PARIS. SEVEN OF THE 13 ACCUSED WERE PRESENT IN THE CROWDED COURTROOM.

THE NEW TRIAL CENTRES AROUND COMMANDER AHMED DLIMI, DEPUTY HEAD OF MOROCCO'S SECURITY POLICE. HIS SUDDEN SURRENDER LAST OCTOBER LAST OCTOBER PRECIPITATED THE CLOSING OF THE FIRST TRIAL AFTER SIX WEEKS. SUPPORTED BY SIX LAWYERS AND UP TO A HUNDRED NEW WITNESSES, HE IS BASING HIS DEFENCE ON A CLAIM OF TOTAL IGNORANCE. IT IS ALLEGED THAT HE WAS A KEY ORGANISER IN THE ABDUCTION PLOT.

THE SIX OTHER ACCUSED PRESENT AT THE TRIAL WERE ANTOINE LOPEZ, FORMER 'AIR-FRANCE' CHIEF; LOUIS SOUCHON; HIS SUBORDINATE ROGER VOITOT; MARCEL LEROY-FINVILLE, COUNTER-ESPIONAGE OFFICIAL; PHILIPPE BERNIER, A JOURNALIST; AND THE MOROCCAN STUDENT EL MAHI.

TODAY'S HEARING HAD HARDLY BEGUN WHEN LAWYERS FOR THE BEN BARKA FAMILY WITHDREW BECAUSE THE PRESIDING JUDGE JEAN PEREZ REFUSED TO POSTPONE THE TRIAL FOR ANOTHER MONTH. THREE OF THE FAMILY'S LAWYERS HAVE DIED SINCE THE FIRST TRIAL, AND THE NEW LAWYER, M. LEO MATARASSO, HAS REQUESTED A MONTH TO ASSIMILATE THE ENORMOUS DOSSIER.

(BEN BARKA, A REVOLUTIONARY POLITICIAN LIVING IN SELF-IMPOSED EXILE, WAS SNATCHED FROM A BUSY PARIS BOULEVARD ON OCTOBER 29, 1965. CHARGES AGAINST MOROCCAN INTERIOR MINISTER GENERAL MOHAMED OUFKIR LED TO A SERIOUS DETERIORATION IN FRANCO-MOROCCAN RELATIONS, AND THE TEMPORARY WITHDRAWAL OF AMBASSADORS FROM PARIS AND RABAT.)